Tiny Choices Survey: Lenny!
By tinychoices | February 27, 2009
Vital statistics (name, age, location, link to website/blog)?
lenny williams • i coordinate green-minded events, 38, NYC
http://gardenpartynyc.com/
How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)?
my sweet boyfriend & i share a studio apartment in manhattan. we are also exploring getting a puppy/dog to share our bed with.
Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
oh by choice.
and by necessity.
he has student loans, i have 2 businesses—one, garden party, just started up in september. we can’t afford to move into a bigger place right now. we could have moved into his place—Q train out to kensington—but we chose to be closer to his work (i can work from home). plus, we are near union square & it’s super-duper farmers market (whole foods & trader joe’s are nearby too!) so our consumerism happens close to home & we take only what we can carry.
plus, with the event business, i am always ferrying stuff to & fro. if we were out in brooklyn i would constantly be renting or taking car services. now i can just hoof it home myself.
How do you travel (transit, car, etc)?Are your travel decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
by foot. i used to joke that my whole life was encompassed within a 10 block radius but then i realized it really is true!
i use the subway upon occasion. for work & weekend getaways we sometimes rent a zip car.
i do love to travel though. we tend to go one big place a year—sardinia, sicily, switzerland, paris—and that means some guilt. luckily, i totally dig native energy carbon offsets. terra pass is ok too.
Tell us about a Tiny Choice you’ve made in your life.
well, they’re not necessarily tiny choices, but…
not having kids
being vegetarian for 23 years
taking cooking classes so i can make good food
starting a business with the future in mind
composting—my new hobby
to think before doing. this is tough for me, i am very spontaneous with mixed results.
What is the one environmental dilemma you personally struggle the most with?
i tend to take longer showers than i should—we do hop in together a lot, but when i shave my legs…it is time consuming!!
What is one Tiny Choice you can make in that direction?
grow my leg hairs! ok, well that’s not gonna happen. (no offense to those who prefer to go natural.)
seriously, i conserve it in other ways; by saving dishwater to nourish the plants, i do larger loads of laundry, i don’t shower everyday.
when i shower with my boyfriend it’s all business—scrub up, scrub down, rinse. there is no lollygagging around when he’s in there!
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you make that people question (in either a positive educational or a negative hassle way) you the most about?
people have really responded joyfully to my new green-minded event planning business. they really get it & are inspired by it.
all these connections that never clicked before start going off in their heads & they’re like, “oh, yes, that totally makes sense!”
in the negative…whenever i go home to houston, tx i still get some gruff about being vegetarian….meat-eating is supposed to be in my blood it seems.
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you would like every single person to adopt?
drink tap water. it’s so accessible. if you live in a place that has good tap, why not?
Do you feel like you make sacrifices for environmentalism? Please explain.
i’ve been some form of vegetarian for over 23 years. i’ve dabbled in macrobiotics & currently am exploring veganism. it started for health reasons—heart disease & cancer are kissing cousins in my family—but over time & thru awareness, it became about animals & the environment. while it’s incorporated fully into my lifestyle at this point–i don’t feel i am “doing without”–it is a huge decision to live this way.
but as far as true sacrifice, where i say, “damn, i really want this but i won’t buy it to save mother earth” my sacrifice is in the way i approach consumption. we don’t really need any of it, so it’s a hard personal thing, where you draw the line. but, i am choosing better materials, that will go the distance. i am choosing organic foods that are good for me & my planet. i am choosing to spend my money—even if it costs me more—because i am getting more. whether it’s peace of mind or a piece of organic pie, it’s worth the financial sacrifice.
it’s also a sacrifices just to be in the city. we have a smaller living space but are closer to things that i need to access for work & life. our living situation is where i feel it the most.
sidenote: i have been reading all these “2009 green resolutions” articles and i swear everything they suggest, i already do & hardly consider sacrifice.
public transpo—check
recycle—check
BYOB (bring your own bottle/bag)—check
buy local—check
use natural cleaning products—check
kermie was right, it’s easy being green!!
Are you generally: optimistic, pessimistic, neutral about environmentalism and the future?
when gas prices dipped so low, i was bummed. the momentum for green transportation alternatives started circling the drain. but the cat is out of the bag. the campaigns this year, for good & for bad, really got people thinking about energy in different ways. people who would normally not be considering green ideas were suddenly reading about it daily. a lot of folks wouldn’t take those issues upon themselves to explore. i think it evolved people’s mindset—that , “hey, wait a minute, you mean the world isn’t flat?” kinda thing.
it’s still gonna take time to really take on a life of it’s own, but for the first time since i was a teenager, i feel like the ideas i have about renewable/sustainable energy could actually come to life—i am stoked.
now, our farming/food industry needs major overhauling—i am still really frustrated about that.
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